Saleroom: Ethnic art high on global buyers' wish lists

By DON MILNE

When the eminent American art historian Paul Wingert wrote his well-regarded book Primitive Art some 40 years ago, nobody saw any problems with the title.

Wingert himself recognised the problems inherent in the term "primitive" and was at pains to point out that he used it to define the art and not to refer to the kind of art or its quality. The so-called "primitive arts", he wrote, "will forever remain as one of mankind's great artistic achievements".

While the term "primitive" is unlikely to be used today ("ethnic" or "tribal" seem presently acceptable), interest in such art is booming around the world. So when Cordy's or Dunbar Sloane, the two Auckland auction houses tending to specialise in such material, have sales, not just New Zealanders are bidding.

Penelope Read, of Cordy's, which has an ethnic sale on April 14, says that where overseas interest was once largely from Europe and the United States, now Australians are big buyers. That sale has a big collection of African material, plus quite a lot from the Pacific including an "extremely good" group of Samoan tapas and some Maori artefacts.

Later in April, Dunbar Sloane will be offering the bulk of the John Gow collection of Maori material and New Zealand folk art. Close on 400 lots will be up for bids, much of it from the so-called transitional period from around the 1880s to about 1930.

Since much of it was made later than 1903, overseas buyers will show keen interest. What is significant about that year? Well, Maori artefacts that are more than 100 years old can be bought only by registered buyers, and under the Antiquities Act they cannot leave the country without written permission from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

Virtually anyone can register, at no cost, and registered collectors have to advise details of all artefacts in their possession. Registered artefacts, which must be authenticated by a major museum, can be transferred only to another registered collector, a public museum or an auctioneer or second-hand dealer licensed to trade in artefacts.

No wonder the local market is strong - there are about 2700 registered collectors.

The act does allow artefacts to be given or left to a relative, who does not need to be a registered collector. And you don't have to be a registered collector to bid for items covered by the act, but if you're successful you must register before you pick up the item.

Finally, any artefacts found after the act came into force on April 1, 1976, become the property of the Crown, which may decide to place them in a museum or with a local iwi or, if they are of no great significance, leave them with the finder.

Coming up: Cordy's catalogued sale, next Tuesday, will include 124 lots from the estate of Professor Paul Beadle and his wife Betty.

Webb's has its first major sale of the year on April 8, described by auctioneer Sophie Coupland as "looking like the best offering for 25 years". It includes, she says, the finest Frances Hodgkins on offer for more than a decade.

Dunbar Sloane is also promising a fabulous Hodgkins oil at its investment art sale on May 7, and a huge Clarice Cliff collection later in the year.

The International Art Centre's first sale of the year is on March 27, with very strong interest expected in the earliest recorded oil of Wellington. Painted by Charles Decimus Barraud in 1851, it depicts a Wellington totally gone today - not one building shown still exists - and could fetch up to $150,000.